Balances to Scale the Walls of Success

Funded Jan 9, 2019

Thank you so much for funding our classroom project! In my chemistry class, we learn our content through the context of new projects each unit. The students are left on their own to solve the problem and learn chemistry through their own explorations. This style of learning requires the students to have full access to lab materials all year round. For some units, almost everyday is a lab day!

The students were so excited to see the new scales in our classroom. Each group had access to their own scale whenever they wanted which allowed them to follow through with their own inquiry at their own pace. For example, in our last unit, students were tasked with the job of environmental consultants and had to determine if an E-Waste factory could set up in our city and dump their waste in our river. The students were so engaged with the problem that many did not realize the story was made up until the unit was over! The students decided they needed to be able to identify what the E-Waste was made up of before deciding if it could be dumped. Eventually, students realized they could use the scales to determine the density of each component and use that to identify the substances.

Having real scientific tools allows the students to truly feel like scientists. This is especially important for my students as the majority of them don't identify with stereotypical image of a scientist. I am fortunate to work with such a diverse group of students and thanks to your donation my job is made a little bit easier as my students start to see themselves as scientists. This is an important step in getting them passionate about science and inspires them to work hard and learn! Thank you again. It means the world to myself and my students!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Capra